Bill remembered the last time he saw his daughter. “She’s just always smiling and she was smiling yesterday morning. Just full of life, excited,” added Bill.

The Woodwards visited the Angel Fire area this past weekend with John Verhalen’s family.

“In shock. We, we’re accepting it but it’s hard,” said Bill.

In a last minute decision, the Woodwards decided to drive back to San Antonio, instead of flying back with Jennifer and John. “She was just happy to be alive and so was he. They did well together,” said Bill.

Strong winds are believed to have been a key factor in the crash.

“I’ve been dealing with emergencies all my life and never thought I had to one with my own, own child,” added Bill, a paramedic.

Workers are the Angel Fire Airport said they talked to John about not flying in the high winds with gusts up to 55 miles per hour. John thought he could handle the conditions.